Commentary

I know of many priests and religious who abandoned their promises. It is because the promises no longer mean anything. They have become inefficacious in the face of greater concerns that are encountered in the intersecting streets of life.

There is no denying that we humans are “creatures of promises.” We cannot but be one because promises express the substance of our hopes. It is in the roller coaster ride of life, however, that these promises have to survive. Though there is always beauty in having happy beginnings but not the entirety of human existence can remain that way – not always. We can never be truly human without experiencing lulls and dull moments. Flat lines are always there to push us to stabilize our convictions. This of course cannot happen over a short period of time because it takes the entirety of human living before one becomes genuinely grounded in the face of adversities and uncertainties.

That is why I have a problem with people who keep on looking for “daily inspirations.” There is this tendency to sometimes “fool oneself”byasking“whatinspiresmetoday?”But why do you need to inspire yourself if in the first place you do understand what each day is for and why one simply has to continue living each day?

We have a life to live and dreams to fulfill. We have principles to fight for with or without a new year. We don’t need to make promises and resolutions just because it is the first day of the year. But we do need to take good care of our life. Human existence is tough because it really is. Life must be lived. Time is just a construct of the significations and signifiers we need.---Rhoderick Abellanosa